Chocolate Buttercream Covering
There’s no nondairy substitute for unsalted butter in this recipe. If you’re avoiding dairy, use a non-dairy whipped cream or make a non-dairy ganache (use 1 pound of melted chocolate combined with 1½ cups non-dairy creamer) to cover and fill the buche.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-3 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 pounds unsalted butter , cold and cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 9 egg whites (1 cup)
- 4 ounces Belgian dark chocolate
Instructions
- Put sugar into a heavy-bottom sauce pan. Pour in water and swirl to dissolve sugar. Add vinegar, lemon juice or cream of tartar. Bring to boil. DO NOT STIR. Cook to soft ball stage. Remove from heat.
- Before syrup reaches soft ball stage, start beating egg whites. As soon as whites are foamy and syrup is ready, begin slowly and steadily adding syrup to egg whites.
- Continue beating egg white mixture while adding cold butter, cube by cube. Meringue will become soupy. Don’t worry; keep adding the butter. (At this point, use a large towel to make a “tent” over the mixture. This will protect you and your kitchen from spattering.) If buttercream is not thick enough after all butter is added, add more, tablespoon by tablespoon, until buttercream is the consistency you want. Add vanilla.
- Melt Belgian chocolate and cool. Slowly drizzle cooled chocolate into buttercream and stir to combine. Spread on Buche De Noel as covering.
Notes
Variation: To make coffee buttercream, dissolve 2 tablespoons gluten-free instant coffee into 1 tablespoon warm water or a liqueur of choice. Add coffee mixture to prepared buttercream and beat until well combined.